牧者心聲
自以為堅固的，要慎防跌倒
蕭壽華牧師
2023 年 10 月 14 日 / 15 日
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兩星期前的崇拜講道完結了尼希米記的信息，讀完最後的第十三章時，有一份唏噓。百姓經歷了神的奇妙作為，在諸般困阻中完成了城牆的建造，他們在蒙恩後深深體會過去違背了神，因此全體禁食認罪，立約悔改更新。但沒想到當敬虔的省長尼希米被召回國後一段日子，百姓因沒有提醒及督促，竟又重新陷入各種罪過中。
人心有一種向下流的自然傾向，當沒有警惕和警覺，便會去尋求肉體的滿足、舒適與方便，流向不要被約束、不願守紀律的狀況。美國加州近年出現多宗百貨公司遭集體搶劫的事件，今年8月，Nordstrom遭50名蒙面賊人聯手搶掠衣服、手袋等超過十萬美元的貨品。箇中原因是加州先後通過「搶劫除罪化」法案，$950以下的財物搶劫會改判為輕罪，務求絕少人判入獄，藉此減少監獄擠擁的狀況。故此加州多個大城市便出現集體搶劫，導致極多百貨公司因承受不起巨大損失而結業。事實上，許多國家當面對地震或各種自然災禍時，常會出現群眾趁火打劫、集體搶掠的情況——外在約束一旦消失，人心便會流向滿足情慾、放棄忠信，只求「自由自主」地行事。
新約聖經指出，以色列人出埃及以後，在曠野違背神，貪戀食物、發怨言、行淫亂，神立時要他們承受審判，倒斃在曠野。經文說：「他們遭遇這些事都要作為鑑戒⋯⋯正是警戒我們這末世的人。所以，自己以為站得穩的，須要謹慎，免得跌倒。」隨後經文又說：「你們所遇見的試探（或譯「試煉」），無非是人所能受的⋯⋯在受試探的時候，總要給你們開一條出路，叫你們能忍受得住。」（林前十11-13）那些經歷過神的能力的人，會以為自己必站立得穩，但一旦再面對不如意、不能接受、不舒適、不方便、不受約束的處境，便往往會流向尋求肉體的滿足，不想忍耐，因而再陷入過犯中。
美國一位牧者分享尼希米記十三章時，指出現代社會最大的惡，就是把惡美化、合理化。「人常常看妥協為『包容』；看違背為『自由』；看迷信為『信心』；看不節制/失控為『鬆弛』；看不祈禱/不崇拜為『避開律法主義』；看放棄道德規範為『釋放』。」（D. A. Carson）——自由主義社會認為敬畏神會叫人失去一切樂趣，但人在自由放縱中，卻會陷入重重深淵。
「自己以為站得穩的，須要謹慎，免得跌倒。」
The sermon two weeks ago concluded the message in the Book of Nehemiah. After reading chapter 13, the final chapter, one cannot help but sigh. The people had experienced the wondrous works of God. The building of the wall was completed against all odds. By grace, they had come to realize their disobedience to God in the past, so they all fasted and confessed their sins. They also made a covenant to repent and renew. Hardly would they have expected that shortly after the pious provincial governor Nehemiah’s return to the nation, they again succumbed to all sorts of sins in the absence of exhortation and supervision.
The nature of the human heart is inclined towards a downward path. It means that without vigilance and alertness, man tends to pursue physical contentment, comfort and convenience. He will want to cut loose the restraints and be unwilling to observe the rules. In recent years, department stores in California, USA, have repeatedly been robbed by mobs of gangsters. In August this year, Nordstrom was robbed by a gang of 50 masked looters who ran away with costumes, handbags, etc., which was worth more than US$100,000. It was because California has passed Proposition 47 (The Reduced Penalties for Some Crimes Initiative). Stealing merchandise worth $950 or less will just be a misdemeanor. As a result, very few would be imprisoned. That was to reduce prison congestion. Since then, flash mob robbery has happened in a number of large cities in California, resulting in a large number of department stores suffering great losses and ultimately closing down. Thefts and flash mob robberies are also common in many countries which have been hit by earthquakes or other natural disasters – These show that once the external restraints are gone, human hearts will be bent towards the fulfilment of lust, giving up on faithfulness and faith, seeking only “freedom and autonomy” in whatever they do.
The New Testament tells us that the Israelites, after leaving Egypt, disobeyed God in the wilderness. They yearned for food, resented, and committed sexual immorality. God immediately gave them judgment and they died in the wilderness. The Scripture says: “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us…. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! ” (1 Corinthians 10:11-12) Those who have experienced God’s mighty power may think that they are standing firm. However, once they are faced with adversities, things that are unbearable, discomfort, inconvenience or situations that are unrestrained, they are often inclined to seek satisfaction for the flesh and do not want to endure, causing them to commit the sins of the past.
When D.A. Carson, an American pastor, shared on Nehemiah 13, he pointed out that the greatest evil of modern society is that evil is beautified and rationalized. He said people often take “compromise” as meaning “accommodation”, “betrayal” as “liberty”, “superstition” as “faith”, “non-restraint” and “out of control” as “relaxed.” The lack of prayer and lack of worship, they call “escape from legalism.” The forfeiture of moral constraint”, they call “liberation”. In a liberal society, people think that fearing God will lead to the loss of all pleasures in life. Nevertheless, in the midst of freedom and indulgence, people fall into great depths of problems.
“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! ”
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